2026-10-22
NSW Parliament has today passed legislation to prohibit the release of one or more lighter-than-air balloons into the environment.
This reform follows years of advocacy from community members, environmental groups, wildlife carers and plastic pollution campaigners calling for stronger action to protect wildlife and reduce plastic pollution.
Kobi Shetty MP for Balmain said:
“This is a really positive step for our wildlife, our oceans, and the many community members who have campaigned for years to end helium balloon releases in NSW.
“I introduced a bill to do this back in 2024, and while it’s disappointing it took another two years to get here, I’m so pleased to see this reform finally pass the Legislative Assembly.
“Balloons are one of the most dangerous forms of plastic pollution for wildlife and are 32 times more likely to kill seabirds than hard plastic when ingested. I hate to think about how many animals could have been saved if this reform was brought in 2 years ago.
The Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database previously reported that an estimated 27,777 balloons, clips, ribbons and accessories were collected from beaches alone over five years from January 2017 through to 2022.
Shetty said that while today’s bill was a great step in the right direction, she will keep pushing for stronger action to reduce plastic pollution including faster phase-outs of problematic single use plastics.
“NSW still has a long way to go to tackle plastic pollution and ensure we leave a liveable planet for future generations. Things like banning plastic fruit stickers and single-use plastic soy fish could be done quite quickly and should be high on the government’s agenda.”